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Victor Maphosa, Mashonaland East Bureau
Police in Mashonaland East have launched a manhunt for a gang who killed six cattle from a farm in Chivhu, as cases of stock theft continue to give residents sleepless nights across the province and beyond.
On Tuesday last week, a farm employee woke up and found that some of the cattle he had penned the previous day were slaughtered and butchered inside the kraal.
The employee quickly told the cattle owner, Mr Pascal Tongowashe, who then instructed him to report the theft to the police at Featherstone.
Police spokesperson for Mashonaland East Inspector Simon Chazovachiyi said last month, the employee enclosed 37 steers into the kraal for fattening. On Monday morning, he checked the cattle and everything was in order.
On Tuesday at about 6 am, he went to the kraal and discovered that six steers, five brown and one black were slaughtered and deboned in the kraal leaving the offal, heads and hides.
As cattle rustlers continue to cause havoc across the country, some farmers in Mashonaland West have pleaded with police to adopt a shoot-to-kill approach amid the rise in cases of livestock theft.
Recently 21 head of cattle were stolen at a farm in Trelawney, Banket, and nine were slaughtered and deboned within an hour. The culprits were never found. On the spot were 37 brand new knives, empty 50kg bags, and two bags that had already been stuffed with meat.
Another herd of cattle was driven by thieves from a pen in Selous, Chegutu. Alert police officers spotted one of the rustlers at around 2am, before he escaped.
Meanwhile, as the fight to curb stock theft intensifies, three men from Harare were last week sentenced to nine years each for stealing cattle in Karoi and selling the meat in Harare.
Tapiwa Tsingidzi (34) of Dzivarasekwa, and Fast Mutata (40) and Emmerson Makahamadze (36), both from Kuwadzana, appeared before the Karoi Magistrates’ Court.
They were facing stock theft charges.
The three were each found guilty and sentenced to nine and a half years in prison. However, six months were suspended on condition that they each pay US$ 1 000 to the cattle owner.
Allegations are that on August 29 at Plot 62 Hopewell Selous, the three went to the cattle pen around 9pm equipped with knives, ropes and 50kg empty sacks.
They opened the cattle pen and took away two beasts.
The court heard that the three drove the beasts to a secluded area about 4km away where they slaughtered the beasts and packed the meat into sacks.
The carcasses were transported to Harare.
Online Reporter